I’m a black and white photograph lover. Whether its landscape, citiyscapes, people or pets, I’m all about that monochromatic life. What I love even more are the DRAMATIC black and white portraits. I love the feel you get from dark contrasted photographs. It shows emotions, drama and makes you feel something; not to mention the beautiful shadows on your subject’s face.

I’m sharing my favorite portraits and lighting techniques from my last project, capturing black and white portraits. It was a success and I’m extremely happy with the end results.

To achieve the Butterfly Lighting method, place the flash directly above the subject pointed down. This will cast a shadow underneath the nose that resembles a butterfly, hence the name.

This image was shot with the model sitting 90 degrees from the camera, with the light pointing down at her

Butterfly Lighting

Loop Lighting

Loop Lighting is a very popular and easiest to achieve. With the subject facing the camera, place the flash 30-45 degrees above the subject’s eye level. This creates the beautiful loop on the subject’s nose.

Loop Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting is harder to accomplish. Named after the famous Dutch Painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. The light creates a beautiful triangle just underneath the eye, no larger than the eye. It’s great for round faces and if done correctly, will slim the subject’s face and add dimension. You’ll have to play with this type of lighting a little more depending on your subject’s face shape. But once you get it, you’ll love the drama it gives to your images.

Those are my preferred lighting techniques for dramatic black and white photographs, now time for photo sharing. These are my favorite images from my project.

If you’re just getting into photography, these are some lighting techniques to help step up your game. You can find a plethora of lighting diagrams to help you setup your lights and get some inspiration for your next dramatic portrait session. I enjoyed this project very much; to view all my favorite images, click here. Until next time, HAPPY SHOOTING!